Do people read newspapers anymore? Business owners ask me.

Marketing experts tell them that social media is the only way to reach anyone under 30.

For businesses strapped for cash, “free” advertising on social media is the only advertising they can afford.  But it’s not free; they pay with their time and attention.

For Citizen Ruth, a retail store whose customers are mainly tourists,  social media marketing is effective. 

But for other businesses, whose customers are local,  it’s not clear that a social media presence, translates to actual paying customers.  

An electrician told me his clients are older. Though not yet senior citizens, we both agreed that holding a real menu was a much nicer experience than scanning a QR code.

Apart from marketing tactics and effectiveness, what does a particular form of advertising support?

Advertisers in the community newspaper support dissemination of local stories.

We know that dollars spent on local businesses strengthens local economies.

Now local businesses spend time and advertising dollars now, creating a social media presence. 

How does a focus on digital “presence”  impact the places and people  in the communities where we live? 

Focus on the digital world is having a big impact on family relationships. 

Businesses’s focus on social media presence is also having a profound impact on our communities. 

Corporate sees clients and stakeholders and interlopers they must protect themselves against. 

Newspapers focus on the reading public.

This difference in the communities each cultivates is significant.